HERBALIST AND HERBS
Two very common finding in the realm of genetic testing have proved to be pinnale to the development of major disorders in those that have these damaged genes. Both folic acid and iron metabolism are critical to maintain optimal health. When problems arise in one or both of these areas,
the propensity for cancer, heart disease, neurological disorder and a variety of other problems rises dramatically. Testing for these genetic problems is neither difficult or expensive, which makes them easy to be part of front line screening. Trying to ameliorate a problem without first addressing these areas is like trying to band aid a sieve.
The generalized name for these gene sites is SNP. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. They have letters and numbers as names, i.e. MTHFR or C677T. Being that we get 2 copies of a gene, one from each parent, tests are on both copies. If only 1 of the pair are damaged then the term is Heterozygous, if both are damaged it is termed Homozygous. Mutations occur in 2 ways. Genetic mutations happen when the structure of the gene has been damaged (generally handed down from parents). Egigenetic mutations happen when the structure of the gene is fine but the machinery does not work right. The problem is in function. Epigenetic alterations happen within our lifetime, they are not necessarily handed down by our parents, and are indicative of long term poor diet, toxicity, and excessive stress (that’s the recipe for disaster for most diseases). Both of these genetic mutations can be helped by Natural Medicine. How will you know if you have them, until tested? Why would you want to know? Because it may take your life prematurely and it is relatively simple to change that down hill race.
Doing a simple Complete Blood Count test (CBC) with a few minor add ons will give enough information to see if further investigation is necessary. CBC is a common and inexpensive test and the add ons are no major expense either. First major add on would be Homocystiene. Homocystiene is an undesirable by product of incomplete folic acid cycles. Under these conditions, Homocystiene builds up in our blood stream. Homocystiene damages the vascular system and is involved in such diverse problems as Osteoporosis ( Homocystiene accelerates bone degradation). If we find elevated Homocystiene, then next test needs to be on the SNP that is involved with folic acid metabolism. MTHFR is that SNP. The way to bring Homcystiene levels down is with high doses of folic or folinic acid along with supplemental doses of B6 and B12. By doing so, we also mitigate any other problems that can be initiated by folic acid deficiency. Those other problems, just mention, are also life threatening.
If we only look at the CBC we may miss problems with iron metabolism. Serum iron levels do not show enough. Both ferritin and soluable transferrin factor are necessary to test as well. A build up of iron in our cells and or blood stream is a dark cloud. Iron is powerfully oxidative. It can and will produce severe oxidative damage (free radical damage) over the long term. These chances are suttle, take place over decades, and because things are relative silent, goes unnoticed until the person is in trouble. Blood tests work. They are an excellent tool to window in on the body. Iron excess is especially damaging to the liver and the heart. The build up in the liver is termed Hemochromatosis (occurs 10% + in caucasian populations) and strangely enough it is exacerbated by high dosing of Vitamin C. Hemochramatosis will destroy the liver if left unchecked. Site to be tested is C282Y. This is a case of excess as opposed to the folic acid problem which is about deficiency.
If a person tests positive for iron excess, than things that are high in absorbable iron need to be reduced or eliminated from their diet. This would be especially true of red meat. This is also the primary reason for using red meat in the diet if someoneis suffering from iron deficiency type anemia. The iron that is in red meat is 40% more absorbable than the form of iron that occurs in vegetables. Any form of supplement that contains iron needs to be eliminated. Excess iron must be removed from our systems in a couple of ways. Standard practice medicine uses blood letting or bleeding, or very strong chelating agents which are often non-specific , meaning they remove good things also. Chelating agents are substances that bind to things so they may be removed from the body. Natural Medicine uses natural chelating agents. These are primarily phenolic and polyphenolic compounds. Things like Green Tea Extract, Milk Thistle, Curcumin, ect. These chelating agents are not only selective in a positive way, they also do about 50 other good things for our body. This is long slow work, but progress can be seen within a few months, if protocol is correct and followed by the patient. These two areas of genetic testing that need to be part of front line screening as they help pave the way for a truly integrated medical approach to health problems.
Harry Chrissakis, Herbaliist
www.herbalistandherbs.com
530-933-8244